Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

The State University of New York Upstate Medical University, College of Graduate Studies is offering fellowships for its 2015 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. The aim of the SURF program is to expose undergraduate students to biomedical research. In an intensive ten-week summer program, undergraduates with appropriate faculty help will formulate their own proposal, carry out research under the supervision of one of our faculty, write a research paper and have the opportunity to see their work published. In the process, students will attend research seminars, present their work, and participate in discussions on alternative careers in research and how to apply to graduate school. Students are given ample opportunities to interact directly with many of our faculty and graduate students.

The program will be held from Monday, June 1, 2015 through Friday, August 7, 2015.

Each fellow will be provided a $3,000 stipend for the period plus housing.

Applicants to the program should be undergraduate students in good academic standing, who will be between their junior and senior years during the summer of 2015, and are majors in chemistry, biology, or a related field. Applicants must have a strong interest in pursuing a Ph.D. degree in biomedical research.

The main criteria for the selection of fellows will be personal scholarship, academic excellence, and the match of applicant interests with those of participating SUNY Upstate Medical University biomedical faculty members. International students who currently have a J-1 or F-1 visa, and who are already attending school in the United States, are eligible to apply.

Dr. David Pruyne: We study how cytoskeletal structures in muscle cells and other cell types are assembled in a simple animal model system. Our techniques include genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry with purified proteins.

Dr. Mark Schmitt: An enzymatic non-coding RNA that is conserved from Archea to humans.